The consumption of electrical power worldwide is vast and will likely continue to grow as traditionally non-electrical powered machines are replaced with electrically powered counterparts. For example, electrically powered vehicles, and in particular passenger automobiles, are becoming more and more prevalent on nations' road systems. One popular electric automobile manufacturer in the United States with annual sales of roughly fifty thousand units in 2015-16 has announced its intention to grow the number of sales to five hundred thousand units within just a few years.
The impetus for switching to electrical power is multifaceted. The cost and environmental impact of generating electrical power is considered superior to that of alternative power sources, such as fossil fuel based power. This superiority is amplified by governmental and industry incentives to the consumer for utilizing electrical power in place of non-electrical power. For example, electric vehicle users have enjoyed tax breaks, preferred parking, preferred road access, and free recharging, all provided due to the use of electric power as opposed to fossil-fuel generated power for their transportation needs. Accordingly, there is a continued and growing need for systems to generate, store and distribute electrical power.
Developed countries all have sophisticated electrical power generation and distribution systems deployed nationwide sometimes referred to as the “power grid.” While the grid is widely used and ubiquitous, it is not always available, and may not provide the lowest cost of power over a prolonged period. Although power outages are rare, occasional storms can disrupt the distribution of electric power to large segments of the population for prolonged periods. These power outages interfere with home life and work and can result in substantial lost productivity and comfort. Further, the cost of obtaining electric power from the grid can be significant, and there is little ability to inject much competition into the system to drive prices down. Accordingly, there is a need for both mobile and stationary electric power generation systems which are of a scale to power a single home, business, and vehicle, and which do not depend heavily on the grid for day-to-day operation.
Accordingly, it is an object of some, but not necessarily all embodiments of the present invention to provide systems and methods that generate electric power efficiently for home, business and vehicle use. It is also an object of some, but not necessarily all embodiments of the present invention to provide systems and methods that store and distribute electric power efficiently for home, business and vehicle use. These and other advantages of some, but not necessarily all embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the power generation, storage and distribution arts.